Introduction
The catastrophic effects of acute uranium exposure are well known (including kidney failure), but the long-term effects of chronic uranium exposure are less described. Interest in chronic uranium toxicity has increased with the recent use of depleted-uranium armaments, the risk of dirty nuclear bombs, and a renewed interest in nuclear energy as an alternate source of energy. Most of the research on chronic uranium exposure has been focused on leukemia, birth defects, neurological problems and lung disease. There is limited information on kidney toxicity but it appears that the kidneys are less sensitive to the chronic exposure than other organs. A recent study out of Finland reporting no link between chronic uranium exposure and kidney disease in adults supports this hypothesis.
Sources of Uranium Exposure
The most common source for chronic uranium exposure is from high levels naturally in water from wells in certain areas such as Finland, Norway, Canada and the United States. Other potential sources include industrial exposure (particularly mining) and nuclear accidents. There have been no reports of terrorists using uranium to date. Disintegrating uranium-depleted armor penetrating shells used by the United Stands, Great Britain and other countries is a relatively new but important potential source of chronic uranium exposure.
Previous Research on Uranium and Kidney Disease
Previous research into the effects of uranium exposure on the kidneys has focused mainly on acute or high levels of exposure. Under these conditions, there is no doubt that uranium is toxic to the kidneys and kidney failure occurs. However, previous research on chronic exposure is very limited but to date, but there hasn’t been much evidence for significant kidney damage and kidney failure.
Recent Study Results on Uranium and Kidney Disease
A study out of Finland was recently reported in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. They studied almost 200 adults (eighteen years or older) who drank well water contaminated with uranium for an average of 16 years. They found that a majority of them drank from wells that exceeded the World Health Organization’s acceptable limit. Despite high and long-term exposure to uranium in drinking water, they found no evidence of long-term damage to the kidney.Conclusions
Acute uranium exposure is highly toxic to the kidneys. The results from this recent study is consistent with previous research and offers further evidence that chronic uranium exposure, while toxic to many body organs, does not seem to effect the kidneys to the same degree in adults. It is important to note that the uranium levels reported in the study are not as high as those seen in acute toxicity and the study was conducted on adults and thus cannot be applied to children.
Sources
- Kurttio et al. “Kidney Toxicity of Ingested Uranium From Drinking Water”. American Journal of Kidney Diseases 47 (2006): 972-982